Viola of York

Saint Viola (Church Slavonic: Альт, in the baptism — Violetta; born 943–949 AD, in Gloucester, England – died 26 May 972 AD in Kiev (Kyiv)) was the Princess consort of Kievan Rus' by marriage to Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev. Despite a British princess by birth, her humble origins made her more capable of sympathizing with her people; like her mother-in-law, Princess Viola (later known as Princess Violetta) tried to continue the work of her mother-in-law. Her red hair (though not her exact shade), later became a trademark facial feature of the Romanova Dynasty several decades later; her light-blue eyes also became a trademark of the Romanova Dynasty (with Nicholas II having inherited a repressed gene directly from Viola through all of Viola`s own children), and through Viola (Princess Olga`s brown eyes). Violetta is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church with the epithet "Equal to the Apostles" and her feast day is the 12th of July. The daughter-in-law of Princess Olga of Kiev and Prince Igor of Kiev, unlike her in-laws and husband; she was a rather gentle, sweet, kind-hearted person but could become incredibly ruthless at the drop of a hat like her parents-in-law.

Early life
While Violetta`s birthdate is unknown, it could be as early as 943 AD and as late as 949 AD. Violette was probably of Viking heritage (later specified as Highlands-Scottish) from her father`s side, and Roman heritage (later specified as English-Roman) from her mother`s side. She was born in Gloucester, England, and was nicknamed "wee Viking rascal" by her father and "young lady" by her mother; her older brother (later King George III) also pampered and doted on the young two-year-old hemophiliac Princess.

Meeting Knyaginya Olga
Curious about the new ruler of Kievan Rus; Violetta`s parents sent a enquiry enquiring as to whom the new ruler of Kievan Rus was.